BTS have officially completed the North αмєяι¢αn leg of their tour following four sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on September 1–2 and 5–6. The tour pαѕѕed through 12 regions with 31 shows, drawing a record-breaking 1.92 million attendees. Notably, with a total of eight shows at the venue and around 496,000 fans in attendance — double the four-show mark from 2021 — BTS have also officially set a new record as the artist with the most performances and the highest total attendance since SoFi Stadium opened.
Forbes emphasized that “BTS 'ARIRANG' takes over Los Angeles with concerts and culture,” while the Los Angeles Times described it as “a testing ground demonstrating K-pop’s enduring cultural influence,” calling BTS “World Clαѕѕ Pop Artists” and affirming that the cultural impact created by the group is truly irreplaceable.
After breaking a series of records in North αмєяι¢α, BTS are expected to continue on to South αмєяι¢α to meet fans around the world. Before entering this leg of the tour, the group has around 20 days off through the end of September — a surprisingly long break in their otherwise packed World Tour schedule. Fans now seem to have spotted a series of clues suggesting that this period may not be entirely for rest.
Starting September 7, rumors that BTS are preparing a new album following ARIRANG began circulating within the fandom, and by September 9, the speculation had become one of the hottest topics of discussion. The suspicions grew stronger following a series of υиєχρє¢тє∂ updates from producers who previously worked on BTS’ ARIRANG album, coinciding with the group’s return to кσяєα after the North αмєяι¢αn tour.
Specifically, Picard Brothers, along with producers Nitti, Beau Nox, and Kaien Cruz, each posted stories showing that they are currently in Seoul, кσяєα, while also appearing in studios and meeting with several other producers who previously worked on ARIRANG. More notably, some of the posts contained direct BTS-related details: Nitti used “One More Night” in a studio post from Seoul, while Picard Brothers even posted a Bearbrick featuring BTS.
Most notably, the photos show multiple ARIRANG collaborators gathering in Seoul, working with electronic equipment and recording for some kind of project. The studio setting also reminded fans of the interior of the HYBE building, further fueling speculation about a new music project.
The speculation gained even more weight when fans recalled that BTS had previously expressed their desire to continue working with the ARIRANG team. Jungkook himself once said directly, “I hope to work with them again, and to have another work session with the producers and songwriters we previously worked with” during a Zane Lowe interview while promoting the album.
One fan also pointed out that these very producers had previously worked on around 100 songs for the ARIRANG project, from which BTS eventually selected 14 tracks for the album. According to SUGA’s previous comments, the remaining songs could even be developed into a mini album.
Another fan added an on-point caption: “If it were just one producer or two, I could say, sure, they can just work with another group, but they all worked on the ARIRANG album, and on top of that, the cost of these producers is high, so I don't expect HYBE to gather them all for another group.”
On top of that, around the same time, producer JPEGMAFIA also υиєχρє¢тє∂ly shared a series of photos from last year’s studio sessions, when he was working with BTS on ARIRANG. JPEGMAFIA previously had plenty of praise for BTS after working with them, calling them “the most professional artists I’ve ever worked with in my life” while emphasizing that the group never stops working, remains focused on their projects, and is capable of producing a successful song in one day.
The producer revisiting his memories of working with BTS at this particular moment has only added further fuel to fans’ speculation. ARMYs can barely contain their anticipation and excitement, with fans buzzing: "The mini album is cooking on low heat", "The brewing is they will be working on the next album that I am betting will be released next year a few months after March", "I'm gonna lose it like thissss... my heart here ain't made of iron, dude, oh my Goddddd", "The excitement that brings my end but I really hope they can rest for a little while", "All the hints are saying so", "BTS's second album is on the way!! nothing happens by chance or coincidence with BTS!",...
